Bottleholder and carrier



June l, 194s.' W, A, BERTRAM 2,442,636

-BOTTLE HOLDER AND CARRIER Filed MaICh l5, 1944 Patented June '1, 1948 NTTED STATES PATENT oFFlcE 2,442,636 BOTTLEHOLDER AND CARRIER William A. Bertram, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 15, 1944, Serial No. 526,519

Claims. (Cl. 294-87) This invention relates to holders and carriers for bottles or the like, and has for an object the provision of a carrier, say, for beverage bottles or the like, which shall be strong and safe, of convenient and ready application, which packs in a fiat small space when not in use, is simple to manufacture and of small cost.

In carrying out the invention, two juxtaposed sheets of heavy cardboard or other suitable material, face to face and slidable or shiftable over each other, are provided with a number, perhaps six, of coincident or overlapping openings which provide passages through both that are expansible and contractible when the plates are slid or shifted on each other, and which passages are large enough in one position of the sheets to pass over the head and neck of the bottle or bottles to be carried and small enough when contracted so that the sheets engage and prevent withdrawal of the neck or heads of the bottle or bottles, a suitable handle maintaining the sheets in the carrying position to grip the bottles and enable the same to be readily carried.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the accompanying drawings, illustrating several ways of carrying out the invention, and the description and claims to follow. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of one of the Shiftable sheets of the device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the other sheet;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the device showing the sheets or plates in their loading positions;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the sheets in their loaded position;

Fig. 5 is a cross-section on the line 5 5 of 'Fig.3;

Fig. 6 is a, cross-section yon the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the holder and carrier in connection with a group of bottles.

Referring to these drawings, the tWo sheets or plates and 2|, seen respectively in Figs. 1 and 2, of heavy cardboard or other suitable material, are provided with openings 22 and 23 and holes 24. These sheets are preferably made alike, for cheapness and convenience 0f manufacture and handling, and one is merely turned over and placed on top of the other as shown in Figs. 3 to 7. The holes, apertures or openings 22 and 23 preferably are sort of key-hole shape, that is, With one end larger than the other, and of a size to adapt them for the purposes intended.

With the sheets 20 and 2| so juxtaposed face to therethrough. In the second position, that is, of

Figs. 4 .and 7, where the smaller ends of the openings are over -each other and the passages through both sheets have been contracted, they are small enough to grip and engage the necksA of the bottles, which are smaller than the heads and 'prevent Withdrawal of the heads and bottles therefrom. This position of the sheets is shown in Figs. 4, 6 and '1.

The positions of the bottles 25, in these Figs. 3 and 4, are indicated by the dotted-line heads 26 and necks of the bottles. Thus, in Fig. 3, Where the sheets or plates are shifted from their normal position, the heads and necks of the bottles 25 are shown extending up through the expanded openings, while in Fig. 4, where the plates or sheets have been shifted back ,to normal, the necks `of the bottles are engaged by the sheets in the smaller ends of the openings and therefore in the contracted portions of the passages. This, as indicated in Figs. 4, 6 and 7, is too small for the head of the bottle to get through and the bottle is gripped thereby and prevented from withdrawal. In Fig. 7, which shows a loaded carrier and holder, one bottle is omitted in order to show the position of the sheets at the openings in this condition of the plates. Y

In order conveniently to carry the bottle holder and carrier and be sure that the sheets do not shift laterally to free the bottles thus hanging from it by their heads, a flexible cord handle 21 is provided; at least its ends should be ilexible, and these pass through the holes 24 in the upper sheet and thence through the corresponding holes 24 in the lower sheet. Here they may be knotted, as at 2'8, Aor otherwise secured to the lower plate, or said ends may be brought together and tied or united to each other. The main thing is that when the cord is tightened, as in Fig. 4, it will shift or tend to shift the two sheets together from the position of Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 4 and thereafter hold the plates in the normal or carrying position .of Figs. 4, 6 and 7. Of course the handle need not be depended on to do the shifting of the sheets; they may be shifted by hand and the 3 cord merely be used to hold them in that position.

In the form here shown, provision is made for carrying six bottles, but, of course, any suitable number may be provided for, and, while beverage bottles were mentioned, the device may be adapted for carrying any suitable txme.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the holder and carrier is convenient and efcient, is cheap to manufacture, prevents any possibility of the bottles dropping and breaking, and does not gather mositure and become weak. Various changes and alterations may be made Without departing from the scope or principle of the invention as set forth or intended to be set forthY in the appended claims:

I claim:

1. A bottle holder and carrier comprising twoV rectangular flat sheets of the same size and having the same regularly spaced holes therein, larger at one end and smaller at the other, said sheets being reversed end for end in the carrier, so that the holes while overlapping to form passages through the two sheets face in opposite directions, said passages when the sheets are relatively shifted in their planes permitting the head and neck of bottles to pass-therethrough and when the sheets are brought back to normal position the sheets engage and grip the necks and prevent Withdrawal of the heads and bottles, and a flexible handle for the carrier arranged to shift said sheets into bottle-carrying position and to maintain same in that position while the bottles are being carried.

2. A bottle holder and carrier comprising two rectangular flat sheets of the same size and having the same regularly spaced holes therein, larger at one end and smaller at the other, said sheets being reversed end for end in the carrier, so that the holes while overlapping to form passages through the two sheets face 'in opposite directions, said passages when the sheets are relatively shifted in their planes permitting the head and neck of bottles to pass therethrough and when the sheets are brought 4back to normal position the sheets engage and grip the necks and prevent withdrawal of the heads and bottles, and a handle for the carrier consisting of a cord passing through apertures in the top sheet and secured to the under sheet, the apertures being so located that a pull on the handle cords shifts the sheets to bottle-gripping and carrying position and maintains them in that position while the Ibottles are being carried.

3. A bottle holder and carrier comprising two juxtaposed sheets face to face and relatively shiftable facewise in substantial contact, said sheets both having overlapping openings each larger at one end than the other and providing passages through the sheets 'which may be expanded or contracted by such relative shifting of the sheets, said passages when expanded enabling the heads and necks of bottles to be passed or loaded through their larger ends and when contracted enabling the sheets to engage the necks at the smaller ends of the openings and prevent withdrawal of the heads and bottles, and a handle for the carrier having a flexible cord-like connection with the sheets and arranged so relatively to shift said sheets into bottle-carrying position and to maintain them in that position While the bottles are being carried by the carrier.

4. A bottle holder and carrier comprising two juxtaposed sheets face to face and relatively shiftable facewise in substantial Contact, said which may be expanded or contracted by such relative'shifting of the sheets, sai-d passages when expanded-enabling the heads and necks of bottles to vbe passed or loaded through their larger portions and when contracted enabling the sheets by the'narrowerportions of their openings to engage the necks and prevent withdrawal of the heads and bottles, and a hand'le for the carrier having flexible connections therewith permitting the handle to lie on the sheets when not in useand the sheets to be so shifted into bottle-loading position and arranged so to shift said sheets into bottle-carrying position by a pull on the handle.

5. A bottle holder and carrier comprising two juxtaposed sheets face to face and relatively shiftable facewise while maintaining substantial contact, said sheets both having overlapping keyslot openings reversely disposed in the two sheets and providing passages through the sheets which may be expanded or contracted' by such relative shifting of the sheets, said passages when expanded enabling the heads and necks of bottles to be passed or loaded therethrough and when contracted* enabling the sheets to substantially encircle and engage the necks andy prevent withdrawal of the heads and bottles, and a handle for the carrier having flexible connections therewith permitting the handle to lie on the sheets when not in use and the sheets to be so shifted into bottle-loading'position and arranged so to shift saidv sheets intobottle-carrying position by a pull on the handle and to maintain* them in that position by the load on the handle whenl the bottles are being carried.

l/ILLIAMl A. BERTRAM.

PFERENGES- CTEBJ- The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,191,197 Grayi Feb. 20, 1940 2,287,731 Frank June 23, 1942 2,337,243 HutaiT Dec, 21, 1943 2,339,598 -Bur'ge J an.'18,`194`4 

